GM Xynen's PFS Group (Inactive)

Game Master Xynen

As the party cooperates to keep the centuries old corpse in tacy, they eventually pull out a small silver coin, styled in some ancient design.

They are succesful in preventing any damage to Arkath and the cleric quickly ushers them back out and closes the stone slab behind them.

"Does this answer any questions for you?"

Talon leans in close, inspecting the silver coin with both mundane and magical sight.

Does Knowledge Arcana, History, Planes, or Spellcraft give Talon any insights here?
Skills listed above: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Geez, dice, cut me a break.

"We will have to investigate the coins property's and its origins before we can tell. I am fairly cretin that the coin shouldn't have been in his mouth. Considering the unusual placement of the coin, I suspect it will provided a valuable clue. Thank you for considering our desire to preserve the knowledge this clue represents."

Appraise: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Ai deftly takes the coin, holding it up to the light and letting the metal shine in her eyes as she examines it closely.

Anything?

Closer inspection reveals this to be a Pathfinder Coin. When combined with a Wayfinder it reveals a hidden message.

"Does anyone have a wayfinder on them?"

"If know one has a wayfinder, I was presented one when I graduated. I haven't picked it up yet, but I can if we revisit the Grand Lodge."

"Back to the lodge? If you insist, but it's a long walk. We're going to miss watching Sir Rienhart try for the Starstone for sure." Ai looks momentarily crestfallen. "We could miss out on a chance of a lifetime!"

Ollo has no wayfinder
"Ach. Back to the blasted Lodge we go then. We need to see what message be hidden here!

"Don't worry, Ai, I'm sure there are plenty of other idiots who want to be gods. The temptation to control the lives of others is way too strong. I agree we should next see what this coin can tell us."

A range of emotions play across Talon's face at the mention of the Starstone Test. "I want to believe the man can make it," he mutters, following the group back to the lodge, "but I don't really want to see a man fall to his death."

"The starestone test." Aarion slowly shakes his head and walks out of the crypt. " I have seen enough death."

Once out of the crypt, Aarion heads to the Grand Lodge and recovers his wayfinder. “I think we should head to a private room in order to evaluate our next move.” Aarion leads the group to a private room. Once comfortably inside the room, the cleric activates the wayfinder with the coin.

As Aarion activates the coin, Talon fishes a leather-bound journal and some charcoal from a waterproof satchel at his hip. He starts taking notes from the day, the pauses, waiting for whatever's to happen with the coin.

As the coin is brought toward the wayfinder it starts to hover on it's own just above the device and once in place starts spinning. As it spins a message plays in a voice you do not recognize, but can presume is that of Arkath the Stonemason himself.

"The path and the chamber are complete, hidden behind the nameplate of the requested aspirant and guarded by the word you requested. Fimbrik will add more."

The message repeats until the coin is removed from it's place above the wayfinder.

Once the message is completely digested by the group, Aarion removes the coin and hands it to Jian-Wei for safe keeping.

"Now I think we should head to the Arcanamirium, to see what we can find out about the Gnome Fimbrik. I’m guessing he has placed additional protections on this alleged passage.”

Talon nods, then looks back at their note. "This mentions his home address. You think that's more likely to turn up something useful?"

"I agree that we should check up on Fimbrik, he may still be alive. First, though, let's see where we are. It sounds like we need to get into a secret room. Its entrance is behind someone's nameplate. That's probably one of the three names on either the Starstone memorial or the wall of names at the lodge. There's some secret word to use. The inscriptions under the three names at the lodge may be a clue to either which one we want or what the secret word is. Anything I've missed?"

Just for clarification that the notes don't provide but I feel they should:
Fimbriks residence was, at the time the notes were written, on campus at the Arcanamirium.

GM: Were there nameplates on the wall of names at the lodge, or were the names carved directly into the wall?

The names are carved directly into the glass the wall is made of.

OK, then it seems logical that the name plate must be at the Starstone memorial.

"Sounds about Tha full of it, Narika.." Ollo says. "All these twists and turns be turnin my head sideways! Give me a goblin or two ta smack!"

-Posted with Wayfinder

Nodding her agreement, Tao-Shan voiced her own distaste of the convolutions. "--or a wound to stitch up."

I know for a fact I wrote a post earlier. Ah well. We're heading to Fimbrik's, right?

"I for one think this is quite fun! I'm sure there's going to be something to smack, and people will get hurt; this is the Society, after all, but for now, I'm quite enjoying myself, and while nothing here's quite been a joke, my lord Picoperi is as well, no doubt." Ai's face shifts, looking at Tao-Shan with what could perhaps be sympathy. "Are you feeling alright? You seem like the type to be all deductive and analytical, and those types are usually good at riddles. Something got you down?"

Despite most the most likely growing fatigue from traveling to and from the Grand Lodge, the party packs it up again and heads to the Wise Quarter, in search of information on the Gnome Frimbrik.

Discussing the almost 400 year old address with members of the Arcanamirium's representatives informs the party that Fimbrik did, and in fact still does, live at that location. Though no one has had direct contact with him for quite some time he has been seen at his residence in recent memory.

As the group of fledgling Pathfinders approach the large stone building at the address they were given, they see evidence that their information may not have been as good as they hoped. Walking up the brick step to the front door reveals the lock rusted, and littering the ground are stacks of newspapers, a quick glance dates them back a year or more. A window next to the door is dusty, but not too dirty to see through and offers a glance of the living room.

Narika knocks on the door.

"Doesn't look hopefull, but we are here, so we might as well try."

"If we are going to investigate this location, it will serve us well to remember that this is a very old spell caster. It is likely that he has added some wards to his home for protection. Extreme caution is advised here."

Aarion waits to see if the knock at the door yields anything.

If the knock does not bring someone to the door, Aarion will cast detect magic and inspect the door.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

There is no answer to the knock at the door. Aarion you don't detect any magic on the door but there does seem to be quite a bit beyond it. The door has only the rusted lock.

"Hello?! Hello in there?" Ai tries the door a few times, looking despairingly at the old, rusty lock. "A shame, defeated by such a simple device."

I must amend my action. I just realized I do not have detect magic at the moment. I Would then wait until someone who does have it to uses it to clear the door.

I should have noticed that as well, my apologies. We have a couple of individuals with Detect Magic (Talon and Narika) so I'll just assume one of them used it instead unless they would prefer otherwise.

"Can anyone disable this rusted lock, or am I putting a boot to the door?"

Peeved at the lack of a response after all of the back and forth, Ollo begins wandering around the garden peering into windows and trying their locks (if any)

Talon Defects for Magics, relaying his lack of finding anything. As Ollo goes looking for Windows or other doors, the tall young kellid looks uncomfortably at the lock. "I hate to break and enter, but it's a dead lead if we don't. Maybe the fact that we, Fimbrik, and our business at his house is all Pathfinder will sidestep any legal issues." He nods to himself as if thinking, 'yah, that's should do it.'

He looks over at Aarion, "Should we bust the lock?"

Unless Ollo is able to find another entrance, Talon is ready to force a way in.

If we break in, Narika needs to be an active part of it for faction credit.

As Ollo moves around the house and peers into the windows, he notices that they are locked, but poorly made and could be broken with a few blows if needed.

When the dwarf makes it the right side of the home he sees a gnomish man, with blue hair sticking out sideways beneath his green bowler cap seemingly perusing his book collection. The man does not respond to any attempt at attracting his attention. Stranger still, as Ollo continues along the windows to the next room he discovers the very same man sitting on a couch reading the newspaper.

Will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
NICE!

As Ollo comes back around the corner of the house, the rest of the party can see him shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. "There be some funny business goin' on in there. There be TWO gnomes in there.. but it had to be some kinda illusion spell. They were TOO identical, ya know?"

Ai heads to the window, peering in as well in an attempt to confirm what he's saying. Despite her best efforts, however, she's unable to see past the illusion. "Nonsense. Do we really want to interrupt what's clearly a gathering of Fimbrik and his identical...twin? Triplets? It would be quite rude."

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Will: 1d20 + 3 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 4 = 12

Since there have been no other suggestions or objections to breaking in I'm going to move us along. Map has been updated.

A few solid blows from Talon breaks the lock and provides entrance into the home of Fimbrik the gnome. From where you are standing in the entrance way you can see a large sofa facing north toward the center of the room directly in your path. Chairs and tables are set up throughout the room as well as grandiose statues of gnomes in the corners. There is a set of stairs to the north leads both up and down.

Narika you count as participating in the break in for the sake of a faction goal, don't worry about not having done the actual breaking itself.

Ollo draws his mace and steps into the room, sliding along the right hand wall, and ready for anything. The gods only know what is going on with those illusions..
"Fimbrik? We need to talk to ye.. its about Pathfinder business. Are ye here?" he calls out to the house.

As Ollo steps into the living room a burst of magic from under the sofa goes off and three large insects appear throughout the area, ready to attack the home invaders.

Turn Order - Round 1:
Everyone!
Bugs

Bold may post, I'm considering all of you to be at the door, there just wasn't room to place all your icons, so your first 5 feet of movement should entering the house.

Ai pushes her way into the room, immediately locking her gaze on one of the hideous, disgusting insects that Fimbrik seems to be keeping in his living room (purple line). That done, she draws her crossbow and sends a bolt downrange into a bug on the other side of Fimbrik's couch (red line). "Anyone home? Fimbrik, you have one hell of an infestation here. You need to be hiring an exterminator for all these gnomes; they're really crowding out the bugs."

Crossbow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Damage?: 1d8 ⇒ 3

Ollo steps forward to meet the far right bug and swings his mace.
Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
Finally! A hit!!

Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Narika steps inside and uses elemental ray (cold) on the bug to the left (the one not currently in melee)

ranged touch attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Uggh, still going to roll for damage since it's touch against a probably flat footed enemy:

damage:1d6 ⇒ 3 cold damage

Aarion moves in and draws his sword. "I have the feeling that we won't find Fmbrik alive. The fact that this place has not been kept up for quite a long time, leads me to believe he is dead or missing."

Talon hustles around the couches, bringing his greatsword down on the beetle near Ollo.

Move to the right-side thing, attack.
Greatsword: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
damage: 2d6 + 6 ⇒ (4, 1) + 6 = 11

There were no clear targets. As the battle is joined, Tao can only watch the others as they take the fight to the insects, stepping closer to be ready to assist if it came to that.
_______________________
Tao cannot assist in combat, so is staying out of it until a clear target appears.

Are you possibly misinterpreting the map? With a 30ft movement you can engage either enemy currently on the map, and they are definitely in range for a ranged attack.

I think Tao is concerned about hurting allies with bomb splash damage. She may not have selective bombs or whatever the feat is yet.